Is political polarization worse than it's been in the past?

Polarization past vs present — I'll pull the latest research and historical data to compare.

Short answer: Yes compared to recent history - but No compared to the worst periods of American history.

The answer depends on what kind of polarization and what time scale you mean:

1. Compared to the last 50-80 years, polarization is worse than at any point

Scholars and political observers generally agree polarization is the defining feature of early 21st century American politics.

Measurement of Congress is the clearest trend:

> Political elites of the United States are deeply polarized. Polarization of the Democratic and Republican Parties is higher than at any time since the end of the Civil War.

> The results from DW-NOMINATE indicate that the level of polarization in Congress is now the highest since the end of the Civil War and shows no sign that it will abate.

Alternative measures using campaign contribution data and state legislature roll call voting support the same claim.

The divergence is recent:

Mass public data shows the same for recent decades:

The Pew Research Center found in its major polarization study:

> The overall share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades, from 10% to 21%.

And ideological overlap has vanished:

> Today, 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican.

There are two types of polarization, and they have moved differently:

Dislike of the other party as people, which researchers call affective polarization, has risen in national surveys since the 1980s.

Data:

2. Compared to all of American history, it is not the worst ever

Historians note that today's climate mirrors previous high-polarization periods, particularly the Civil War era, when Congress is now more polarized than at any point since the end of Reconstruction.

But many historians argue the Civil War era was far more divided:

> As a historian who has written and taught about the Civil War era for several decades, I know that current divisions pale in comparison to those of the mid-19th century.

> Between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army at Appomattox in April 1865, the nation literally broke apart.

Examples used to illustrate the difference include:

One view is that today's social conflicts and partisan strife pale in comparison with much of the nation’s past, like racial apartheid and urban riots and anti-war protests during the 1960s.

Another nuance: even now, polarization can feel worse than it is:

> Political groups have moved further apart in recent years, but these divisions are still fuzzy, and Americans are not split into entirely opposing tribes when it comes to the issues.

Others disagree, arguing divisions are now deeper, even than they were in the 19th century.

Bottom line